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 Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2015 8:18 pm
"My parents spoke of a time when humans and fae got along. Wel, mostly. There were still the unseelie, but the seelie were always helpful and kind to humans, and humans were thankful. I never really believed it. They were too afraid, I don't think they believed it either. Or they didn't feel this generation would accept them." She reached for Dari's hand. She didn't know about humans, but the world's outside this one, they had her intrigued.
"It'd be nice to be the one to discover one, but at the same time, I'd hate to be the one to disturb them if they've lived so long in peace."
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Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2015 8:23 pm
Dari offered his hand while Maia reached out for it. He was not ashamed of physical displays of friendship or affection. He even pressurized the digit so the selkie wouldn't be getting an uncomfortable squishy surprise.
"I've heard of the same time. Some swear it existed, and wouldn't fae all be extinct if it hadn't? Sure, humanity has forgotten, they've decided it was all myth, and they continue to encroach on neutral territory, but I prefer to think it is possible. We help keep Breyer safe under the guise of some foundation or another, it and other such places."
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Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2015 10:56 pm
Maia took his hand. "I wish I could have seen it," she said, wistfully. Humans and fae working together for the betterment of the world. At least those who hadn't murdered innocent travelers. "It must have," she said. Dari was right: if fae hadn't once been welcome, with the seemingly endless tales concerning them and other creatures, there would have been war.
"There's other places? Like that forest?"
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Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2015 12:32 pm
"There are a few, and they're the simplest cases. We just go in to make sure everything's alright, help them with any problems they may have, and leave," Dari nodded. "It'd be nice if that was all the job was, but mostly our entities exist within expanded human society, and that's when there's danger."
That was really why the FBPI had become necessary. Humans and entities intermingling when so many of each side wanted to murder the other.
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Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2015 2:21 pm
The two discussed fae and places Maia would have liked to see until Toby woke. They went down for a continental breakfast (something the Selkie was fascinated by: people really ate dessert for breakfast?). They kept their promise to the Kelpie, paying him a visit during which Toby took the time to explain just what a beacon was.
Maia thought it sounded like more trouble than it was worth.
She was rather excited though, once it hit noon. She'd taken Toby's hand by then and led him, and Dari, off to the small shops on the road over the beach. They were mostly there for tourists, selling post cards, shells and beach themed toys. "Come on, we can go to the arcade later!"
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Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2015 2:29 pm
It struck Toby that Maia was rather young for her age, but such things often couldn't be helped. She had lived apart from humanity and only really experienced its children, so of course her manner would be more childlike than most. That was half of the reason she needed schooling. Other than that, though, it was almost charming. Everything was exciting, even the simple stuff. He was much more open about her holding his hand today if not only because the day had already been too troublesome to care.
He was used to touristy places like this. Everywhere had them. Dari would undoubtedly have been enjoying himself more if he hadn't been partially blinded by the projector currently buried deep inside. At least the sunglasses made more sense now.
Hmm, should they bring something home for the rest of the crew? Something silly. There certainly were no beaches in Arizona, but everything was so cheesy, what should they choose? Maybe some stuff for the pools...
"Are we going to get your things tonight too?" Toby asked.
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Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2015 3:26 pm
"Of course," Maia agreed. "We'll do that later, better that way. Fewer prying eyes." She was still nervous about being seen and recognized. While she did seem reassured by Toby and Dari's presence, she was still nervous around others. She would stop and look in each shop's window. Some of the stuff she saw, she had no interest in. She could have found better at the beach herself. She had better, at her place. "Yesterday there were camera men outside where I live," she explained. "Because that's where, you know."
They were in public, it wasn't safe to say that'd been where she transformed. "Hey, do you want to go on the ferry?" She asked. It was a normal human thing to do, wasn't it? Go on the ferry with your date to see the sights? "Maybe we'll see seals! And dolphins!"
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Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2015 3:40 pm
Toby hadn't dragged the two into any shops yet. The last thing he needed was beach-themed tchotchkes to fill up his house. The damn things had always seemed cheesy to him and he preferred a much simpler decor than 'here is something from that time I went to the beach, next to something from that time I went to Alaska.' He kept souvenirs, of course, just not like this.
"Really? That can be pretty dangerous," Toby nodded. He didn't need context to know what she was talking about. "At least there was nothing for them to catch." He turned to Dari then at the offer of a ferry ride. They'd been on dozens, but Maia seemed excited. Sea life was more interesting than not, and riding with a selkie might be interesting. Didn't ocean critters generally shy away from the sound of ferries, though?
"Sure," Dari offered to Maia finally. It would just be another bonding experience. He wouldn't be able to see much against the glare of the sun.
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Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2015 4:25 pm
"I have stuff at home I can give you," she said, looking towards a shop window. She'd collected beach things for years. Semi precious gems like agates and jasper, the glass floats that loon hid around the beach: they were all so different and pretty, and Maia admired them even If the guy was crazy. They seemed to appear the Sam's time every year. Tourists were always happy to collect them. Sandollars and other shells she was sure the two fdpi guys would like. "Better than these. Some of those are painted."
"Or a smaller boat," Maia considered. A smaller boat with just the three of them, closer to the water. They could stop the motor and sit out there, on the ocean. "We might get a better view that way."
And hopefully not of an orca whale.
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Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2015 4:34 pm
Toby nodded and looked off to one side, admiring an older couple who both wore fanny packs. Right. Fitting in. They might as well have tied on a couple of bucket hats and mid-western accents for all the blending-in these people did. He turned back when Maia mentioned a smaller boat. She had seemed excited about the ferry, but his idea of a good time involved spending the money he had no idea what to do with on things they might enjoy without forty wide-eyed tourists pointing out every humanity-deafened fish that swam by.
"Sure, is there a rental area somewhere around here?" he asked. Little did he know that Dari, who didn't even have to buy food or pay utility bills, was beginning to plan to get there before them and snag the rental. He had literally nothing to buy, and they continued to pay him every week.
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Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2015 4:58 pm
"On the shore," Maia said. "Come on, I'll show you." As long as they steered clear if the whale watching tours. The Selkie had seen an alarming number of people go on those. She couldn't believe how many people actually wanted to see those creatures. They were violent, seal eating fiends.
"We can come back and look at the shops later, if you like. " she suggested. If there was something Toby wanted to buy, she didn't want to stop him. "I'll show you my house too, so you know where it is."
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Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2015 5:18 pm
"Sure. We can come back later." A boat ride was more interesting than knick-knack shopping but he would like to grab something for Kelly at the very least. She'd find it funny. "So you own a house? Like a four-walls-and-a-roof sort of house?" He hadn't seen one on the beach, but that didn't mean there wasn't one on the border.
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Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2015 5:37 pm
Maia stared at him for a long moment. "Yes," she said slowly, blinking at the question. Didn't all houses have four walls and a roof? "Come on, I'll show you." She led him towards the edge of the beach, where a group of houses stood looking over it. "Mine is that small one," she pointed. "It used to be my parents'. They bought it. Its too big for just me though, so I don't usually stay in it. I keep stuff in it, though. It has good beach access so when I come down from it, I can go back into the water quickly. Normally, anyway." She gestured to the group of people seated below, some with cameras.
"They've been here since yesterday."
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Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2015 5:45 pm
Huh. So Maia's parents, although they spoke of only fear and distrust when it came to humanity, had been able to buy or, at the very least, generally procure a human-style house to live in. It was a nice one, really. There were thousands of humans in this state alone that would literally murder someone for a beachfront house.
More worrisome was the crowd of gawkers apparently waiting for a seal to flop out of the sea and somehow decide it would be okay to become a woman. Or maybe not. Maybe they just wanted to see a seal, and then when it came too close they'd just pull out a knife and-- no, yeah. They were going to have to see about having the beach cleared.
"Right. Well, I'm glad we found you first," he said. At least they didn't seem to be targeting her house specifically. They should be able to pack out at night without many questions. He pulled out his phone to make a call and Dari shook his head. Miserable bastards. They'd never find anything here again.
"Hello, yes. Could you find out if the beach is private at these coordinates? Directly in front of the small white house? ... yes. Yes, alright. Thanks." With that, Toby hung up.
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Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2015 6:10 pm
The beach was private, and had been purchased many years ago.
Maia gave a nod. "Me too," she said. She was really starting to appreciate what they were doing, even if she didn't particularly appreciate their means of doing it. She still wanted her pelt back, but she also knew the danger she'd be in if she transformed.
She let go of Toby's hand as he called someone, taking Dari's instead. "I didn't try scaring them off yesterday, I just went to eat. They didn't bother me then, I thought they were regular tourists."
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